Tigron
Tigron Enterprises were an Anti-Gravity racing team based in Russia, competing in the F9000 League. The team, along with Van-Über, were one of the only two new teams in Wipeout Fusion to make a return in Wipeout Pure. History Russian industrial sector experieced a sharp downturn in the 2140's. As a result, the government was gradually overthrown by a local criminal faction which brought the whole country into a social climate comparable to the former USSR era of the 20th century. Tigron Enterprises was a corporate syndicate formed by the same criminal brotherhood running the country at the time. After buying out the failing Qirex team in 2149, Tigron would enter the league the following season using Qirex technology, but bringing its own ship design and aggressive tactics to the fore. Over the next twenty years, Tigron would make few friends in the league. Their heavy craft lent themselves more to strong-arm tactics at the expense of finesse and speed. More often than not, one or more of the other teams would lodge a complaint about Tigron after an event. Not that it made any difference - maximum impact, maximum exposure, and results at any cost were the by-lines at every pre-race briefing. The criminal syndicate behind Tigron Enterprises involved themselves in every moneymaking opportunity that anti-gravity racing presented to them, from selling spares for restoration enthusiasts from the very plant that had once fabricated the legendary Qirex craft, to playing hardball behind the scenes with the league. One example was the alleged disappearance of over 2,000 people, from government officals to factory workers, to be employed by Tigron's racing project. During the takeover, Tigron uncovered a range of illegal activities that the Overtel Corporation, who controlled the F9000 Commission, were involved in during their ownership of Qirex. As such, Tigron would use this infomation to blackmail Overtel to actively flaunt the rules. This went as far as race-fixing in the later years. Ultimately, their involvement in the corruption of the league would cause the downfall of Tigron Enterprises when the F9000 League fell in 2170. Many key members of the criminal syndicate behind the scenes had been flushed out during the investigations from the federal government in exile that followed, leaving the Tigron properties abandoned as the felonry went to ground, followed by the dissolution of the syndicate's puppet regime in Russia. An old Tigron craft was re-commissioned by Qirex during the FX300 League. It was used as a training ship for some pilots to be accustomed to the heavier craft. After it was no longer deemed useful, Qirex director Feliks Levovich ordered its dismatling, wanting no remenants from Tigron to survive. Appearence, Evolution & Stats Although Tigron were one of the most ruthless teams in AG history, their ship was one of the most popular, and one of the best ships in Wipeout Fusion. The ship has got an impressive speed, handling, and shield, in which it has decent thrust and weapon power. Because of these stats, the ships require pilots that are strong enough to control them and have an aggressive style, seen in both of their pilots. Returning in Wipeout Pure, the Tigron ship is somewhat similar to that of the F9000 model, but its hull is more cylindrical. Due to its handling and thrust, it can be considered the "superior version" of Triakis, but it isn't the case. While its speed may be able to match Triakis, the Tigron's shield is just slightly weaker. In addition, it handles slightly worse than Qirex or Assegai. Also, the Tigron accelerates slightly slower than Auricom or Harimau. Trivia *The Qirex team would be reformed after the purchase of the former Tigron factory by a Russian businessman Feliks Levovich. The new Qirex may have similar strength characteristics as the former team, while their attitude is less financially focused. *It is unknown how Tigron managed to compete in the FX300 League. The team could have been re-established, but it is either unknown when or unlikely. However, the explanation stated above had been the most widely accepted theory. *In Wipeout HD, a Tigron billboard can be seen in Metropia, right after the Gemini's Pin. This seems to be weird, since Tigron did not make an appearance in the game. The same case also occurs on another team, Van-Über. **It is possible that Tigron was intended to make into Wipeout HD, however time constraints removed the team from the game. Nevertheless, the billboards remain in their original positions. Category:Teams